American electric carmaker Tesla on Friday said it will significantly expand its charging infrastructure across major Indian cities as it accelerates operations in the country following the launch of its second model, the Model YL.
The company recently introduced the three-row, six-seater SUV Model YL in India at a starting price of Rs 61.99 lakh. The premium electric SUV is expected to compete with Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, EQB models and the MG9 in the luxury EV segment.
Tesla India General Manager Sharad Agarwal said the company is building a strong long-term foundation in the country.
"We are building block by block the very strong foundation for the business and the brand in the future, focusing on building the entire ecosystem in India," he said.
Highlighting Tesla’s charging plans, Agarwal said the company already operates five supercharging stations in India.
"We already have five super charging stations in India, which we have built around the lifestyle of our customers, where they go to work, shop, dine and travel," he told reporters.
He further said,"In the coming months, you will see that we will build charging infrastructure around the major hubs, which are Delhi, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Pune."
According to Agarwal, Tesla plans to develop both superchargers and destination chargers in these cities to help reduce customer concerns over range anxiety.
The company also plans to connect major cities through charging corridors on highways.
India remains a key growth market for Tesla, with Agarwal drawing parallels to China, where the company has a widespread charging presence.
India has a similar population like China where Tesla has 2,500 plus superchargers and "That is what when we are committed to the market, as the market demands, as per the lifestyle of our customers... we are going to build the charging infrastructure in this country," Agarwal said.
Globally, Tesla has one of the largest EV charging networks.
Noting that Tesla is not just building cars but also built "the largest charging infrastructure in the world", he said the company has "more than 8,100 charging stations, which also means that we have 80,000 plus super charges installed".
Stating that these have 99.95 per cent uptime, Agarwal said it "means that when you go to a Tesla charging station, you will always find it working. That's the technology which we are also bringing to India".
Tesla is also expanding its after-sales network in India. Since entering the country last year with its first Experience Centre in Mumbai, the company now has three centres in Delhi, Mumbai and Gurugram.
"We have also expanded our service to two stations -- one in Gurugram and one in Mumbai. We also recently started our service and body shop center in Pune and in this quarter, we will also open service and body shop centers in Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad."
Agarwal added that home charging remains central to EV adoption in India.
"We have to focus on this and today we have built the capability that we can install home charging in any city, in any state in the country."
Tesla follows a direct-to-consumer sales model in India and has already delivered vehicles across 21 states.
The newly launched Model YL offers a claimed 0-100 kmph acceleration time of 5 seconds and a WLTP-certified driving range of up to 681 km.